The Surprise
by Starling Rising
Summary: Numair comes home to find a little surprise from Daine. OneShot


Numair was tired. After being separated from his home and friends for more than a month on a mission for the king all he wanted to do was fall into bed with his magelet and go to sleep: after a reasonable amount of canoodling, as she so charmingly put it. After taking care of Spots, (_Stupid stable hands, it's not even an hour after midnight. They should be up so I can get to my rest) _hemade his way up the many stairs to the door that marked the rooms he and Daine shared.

He opened the door quietly, wanting to wake Daine up with kisses instead ofbanging doors. Padding into the room in his stockings, he peeked into the bedroom. And received the shock of his life.

Lying in the bed was not only Daine, but another lump that was much too big to have been anything else but a man. His breath caught in his throat as thoughts ran through his mind.

_How could she do this? We've shared that bed for five years! What about all the reassurances that she would never leave me for someone younger?_ He'd done it now. He had stumbled onto the one thought about his young laver that sent disagreeable shudders down his spine. _She has! _His mind wailed. _She has gotten tired of me and my endless lists and my overexuberant experimenting and taken another lover! _

_Why does it surprise you? _another voice in his head remarked with an icy voice. _You knew it couldn't last, you knew you weren't good enough for the likes of her…_

_But she promised! She promised she would…_

His tormented thoughts were interrupted by a stirring in the bed. The shape of Daine's arm snaked its way around the other person in the bed, and a happy sigh escaped her lips. His eyes filling with tears, Numiar turned away. _If this is how she wants it…_and he let out a sigh.

It seemed this night would never end. Her head shot up from her pillow with a surprised gasp, and her expression quickly went from one of horror to a smile. She caught sight of his despondent expression and frowned. She looked around her and seemed to remember the figure lying next to her. She then had the nerve to smile. She leaned down and whispered something in his ear.

_She acts as if she doesn't care, _he thought morosely, _maybe_ _she doesn't maybe she want me to know. Maybe-_

The shape moved under the blankets, stretching. Then, as he watched incredulously, a panther slid out from under the covers and onto the floor. After a look at him, it went over to Daine's side of the bed and started purring when she scratched it behind the ears. For once in his life, Numair was speechless.

"Could you spend the rest of the night in the sitting room, dear?" For a second, Numair thought she was talking to him. "It turns out my mage has come home a few days early." She waited. "I'll take you back to the menagerie in the morning, it's too late now. And," she turned to him with a smoldering look, "I need to welcome back my mate"

The panther very wisely left the room as Numair made his way over to the bed. He sat down and wrapped his arms around the young woman lying there, wrapped in sheets.

"And who was that, if I may ask?" He growled into her ear. He felt her shiver and her breath quicken. She took a moment before she answered.

"He is a panther from the menagerie. I sometimes sneak him up here when you're gone because I miss you so much. He doesn't mind, he doesn't have a mate." She nuzzled her nose onto his neck, and he could feel her breathing deep, taking in his scent.

"And what may I ask," he inquired, "made you choose a panther to replace me?" He thought it was ironic, since his name actually meant "panther" in Old Thak.

"Well… he reminds me of you. In a good way!" she exclaimed at his incredulous look. "He's warm, and big, and … fuzzy." She finished in a small voice.

"Fuzzy?!" he exclaimed. "I am not fuzzy. I may be big, and I may be warm, but I am most certainly not fuzzy."

"If you say so Numair," was her only response.

"You scared me when I came in here and saw you in bed with that thing. He said, trying to guide the conversation away from the apparent excess of hair on his body. "Why didn't-"

"His name is Siraj, Numair."

"Alright then, Siraj," he condescended. "Why didn't I know about him? I thought there was a man in there with you instead of a fearsome beast."

"I thought you would laugh," she admitted. "Wait, did you say you thought it was a man in bed with me? Why would you think that, sweet? I couldn't do that to you if I tried." She then started kissing his neck, leaving little spots of fire wherever her lips touched.

"I know that now, magelet," he gasped. "I think it was just a case of paranoia after being gone so long. And I missed you. I always end up with morbid thoughts when I've been missing you for too long." He bent his head down over hers and caught her mouth with his, trying to show her how much her absence affected him without going into a long speech that would just eat up the time in which they could be doing…other things.

"Come to bed," she moaned. It was a request he could not deny.


End file.
